1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to two-bottle carriers, such as collapsible carriers, for relatively large bottles, for example one-liter beverage bottles, and particularly to carriers capable of being used in shipping cases for such bottles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains a number of two compartment carriers such as the collapsible carton illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,250 which shows diagonally foldable bottom flaps hinged on the bottom edges of side walls and having tabs adhesively connected to bottom members which are hinged to the bottom edges of corresponding end walls. Similar foldable gusset panels are also illustrated in a four bottle collapsible carrier disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,860,816 which also includes gusset or diagonally hinged panels between center partition walls and the bottom.
The prior art also contains many carriers wherein a hooking tab formed on the bottom edge of a center partition panel cooperates with an edge, slot, or opening in a bottom panel for holding the carton in an open or uncollapsed condition; one type of hooking tab cooperating with an oval slot extending along a fold line across the center of a bottom panel is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,916.
A plastic crate for shipping four "six-pack" bottle carriers is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,759; the crate has spacers with a star-shaped cross section projecting up from the bottom and extending through corresponding holes in the bottom of the "six-pack" carriers to prevent the bottles therein from bumping against each other during shipment.